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Nation & States
WTO
talks begin, farm subsidies
again take front seat
What is
India News Service, July 28, 2004, 1700 hrs IST
Global trade talks
began Tuesday with officials hoping to break logjams and to
satisfy the increasingly vocal complaints of developing nations that
rich countries have yet to pledge a substantial enough cut in their
agricultural subsidies.
But neither the haves nor the have-nots were
acting as single blocs, with members of both factions seeking out
splinter groups focused on particular issues. At the headquarters of
the World Trade Organization, the countries gathered in a general
session and later broke into discrete special-interest groups that
tried to devise strategies that offer enough concessions to reach a
compromise, while also appeasing groups at home.
Outside, in splendid summer weather, protesters
from Oxfam International, the nonprofit advocacy group, stuck four
dummies dressed in pin-striped suits upside down in sand and
complained that the wealthy regions - Canada, Europe, Japan and the
United States in particular - were turning their backs on the
world's poorest farmers.
Some African countries demanded over the
weekend that the United States agrees to eventually eliminate its
cotton subsidies, revisiting an issue that helped destroy talks last
year in Canc\FAn, Mexico.
At the same time, a small group of 10 of the
world's wealthiest countries, including Switzerland and Norway, were
trying to block attempts to rein in their protections of special
agricultural products in their countries, like rice for Japan.
'No
compromise': India has informed the World Trade Organisation
that it will not compromise on issues affecting the livelihood of
millions of farmers. Intense negotiations began in Geneva on Tuesday
to reach a framework for negotiations on market.
Negotiations with abductors progressing well: The government
said negotiations with the abductors of the three Indians held
hostage in Iraq since last Wednesday were proceeding well.
BJP wants UPA to resolve crisis: BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu
on Tuesday said the onus is on the UPA Government to resolve the
ongoing confrontation with the opposition. Opposition parties under
the NDA umbrella on Tuesday decided to boycott all parliamentary
committees.
Centre
gears up to tackle drought: The centre on Tuesday assessed the
drought preparedness of nine rain-deficient States and promised all
help to meet the situation. The States were asked to remain alert
and ready with contingency plans.
PM
to meet CMs of dry states: Manmohan Singh will convene a meeting
of chief ministers of rain-deficient states next week. The decision
was taken after a meeting of cabinet secretary B K Chaturvedi with
chief secretaries of rain-deficient states.
Ghatate
quits: Law Commission Vice-Chairman N M Ghatate resigned on
Tuesday saying he did not wish to continue "where I am not
desired."
After a nearly
11-hour gun battle, security forces gunned down two al-Mansoorien
militants who had carried out a 'suicide attack' on a CRPF camp in
which five CRPF jawans lost their lives and two others were injured.
5
SPOs killed: Five Special Police Officers were killed and three
injured by militants who attacked their houses at Gundi in the
Faislabad area of Surankot district of Poonch district on Tuesday.
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View from
abroad
Global
warming agreement: The Bush administration plans to announce an
agreement today with seven countries, including India, to slow
global warming and harvest an otherwise wasted fuel by capturing
emissions of methane, a heat-trapping gas, from landfills, coal
mines and oil and gas fields and pipelines
WB
making a difference to the poor? Wealthy nations and
international organizations, including the World Bank, spend more
than $55 billion annually to better the lot of the world's 2.7
billion poor people. Yet they have scant evidence that the myriad
projects they finance have made any real difference, many economists
say.
Neighbours
Pakistan urges captors to free hostages:
President
Musharraf and Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday
made a joint appeal to the captors of two Pakistani workers in Iraq
to release the hostages on humanitarian grounds.
N-facilities
safety to be enhanced:
Pakistan has decided to
further ensure safe operation of its nuclear facilities, especially
the nuclear power plants, by strengthening the Pakistan Nuclear
Regulatory Authority (PNRA) under a six-year phased monitoring and
evaluation programme.
Pace
of dialogue 'satisfactory':
Pakistan has again
asserted that the process of composite dialogue with India requires
a timeframe and that should be meaningful and result-oriented.
Pakistan
treasury benches want Sutlej reclaimed from India:
The Indus
Waters Treaty of 1960 came under fire in the National Assembly on
Tuesday when many treasury MNAs called for getting back the river
Sutlej.
Wana
radio booster attacked: A
radio booster in South Waziristan was damaged in an explosion on
Monday night, residents said on Tuesday. They said unidentified
people planted explosives outside the building which houses a
low-frequency radio station.
States
Curfew
relaxed in Manipur: The indefinite curfew clamped on many parts
of Manipur since July 15 was relaxed for 13 hours on Tuedsday,
despite continuing protests against the killing of a woman allegedly
by the armed forces.
Awards
for 36 children: Computer wiz Sachin Dattatreya Vekoli of
Maharashtra was today awarded a gold medal. He is among 36 winners
in the 4-15 age group of the National Child Awards.
Kohli
taken to Punjab: Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, prime accused in the
rape and murder of British teenager Hannah Foster, was taken by a
Punjab Police team to Delhi en route to Kharad.
Overall:
Geneva
talks began: India said it wouldn't compromise on the interests
of the farming sector.
Parliamentary crisis continued: The BJP president said the
Congress should move to end the opposition boycott of parliamentary
committees.
PM will meet CMs from drought states: The uneven monsoon has
left many states worried, and Manmohan Singh has said they should
prepare contingency plans.
Five policemen were killed: An overnight gun battled raged in
Kashmir and militants killed five special police officers.
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